Second Annual Ralphies

Best NONFICTION BOOK I read this year: This is a hard one for me. I have read many (and portions of more) but which was the best? I think I will have to go with a re-read of Dorothy L. Sayer’s Mind of the Maker. She examines the nature of God from the perspective of an artist; who better to understand the nature of the Creator than another creator? Very relevant stuff.

Best FICTION BOOK of the year: The only fiction I have read for myself (as opposed to reading to my daughter) was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so it is my choice as well. (Snape is innocent!) I would add as runner-up The Great Brain Series that I read as a boy and my daughter enjoyed immensely (we read them all twice last spring!). Much fun. Now, if only I can get a hold of the film with Jimmy Osmund as the TD!

Best MOVIE of the year: UPDATE: We just got back from watching The Chronicles of Narnia. Wow! Great film. I will have to re-read to see all the differences, but the two that stood out, the battle and the line about Aslan not being “safe,” only the latter bothered me. (Such a good and notable line. Why not put it in its proper place?) As for the battle, I realize that Lewis did not elaborate on it in his book, but he didn’t need to; all of Britain (the world) knew the horrors of battle at the time. I think the battle was well done and in fact, added much to the images of sacrifice and loyalty, adding depth to Edmund’s character that might have been lost with a script that stuck too closely to the book. So, Narnia is now my movie of the year.

My original choice: The Incredibles. The movie was released in 2004 (and we saw it in the theatre) but I got it on DVD in ’05 so I will make it my pick. This is just one of the best movies ever made, imho, for those who like animation, spies, and adventure, not to mention family flicks.

We have not yet seen Narnia and Harry Potter 4 is not my choice, because even if it is “the best Potter film yet” it is not the best version of the book on film. As a film it is excellent. But as a remake of the book, not so much. Of course, it is nigh on impossible to convert that many pages into a few hours on screen…